Troy University Athletics

TROY, Ala. - Jaheim Merriweather rushed for three touchdowns, and Troy racked up 427 yards of total offense as the Trojans defeated Alabama State, 34-17, at The Vet on Saturday afternoon. The win propelled Troy to its first 2-0 start since 2013.

Merriweather accounted for 127 of Troy's 226 yards on the ground, including a 69-yard rushing touchdown that put the Trojans ahead for good midway through the first quarter.

Troy (2-0) continued to be perfect inside the red zone, scoring on all three opportunities. The Trojans are 6-for-6 inside the 20-yard line to begin the season.

T.K. Keyes hauled in five catches for 127 yards, while Goose Crowder continued his clean start to the season by throwing for 201 yards with no interceptions.

Alabama State (2-1) was led by 80 rushing yards from Jamarie Hostzclaw, while quarterback Andrew Body was limited by the Troy defense, throwing for 105 yards and getting sacked three times.

Keno Jones and T.J. Thompson led the Trojans with six tackles apiece; Jones added 1.5 sacks and forced fumble. Troy snapped Alabama State's streak of scoring at least 30 points at 15 straight games.

Troy struck first on the opening drive of the game, taking just three plays to find the end zone. Keyes caught a pass over the middle and broke two tackles for a 73-yard score, his second touchdown in as many weeks.

Alabama State responded on its opening drive as its six-play series ended with a 50-yard touchdown rush from Hostzclaw.

After the two teams traded punts, Troy got the ball back and wasted no time taking the lead. On the first play of the drive, Merriweather bounced a run outside, tiptoeing down the sideline past a swarm of Hornets all the way to the end zone to give the Trojans a 14-7 edge.

The Troy defense then forced a quick Alabama State three-and-out, and Ethan Head extended the lead to 17-7 with a 24-yard field goal after the Trojans' six-minute, 12-play drive stalled at the goal line.

Merriweather found the end zone on Troy's final two drives of the half. The third-year back rushed for six-and one-yard touchdowns for his second and third scores of the game.

His third score came following a Donnie Smith strip sack that set the Trojan offense up at the Alabama State 42-yard line. Troy took a 31-7 lead into the half.

Alabama State cut into the lead on its second drive coming out of the locker room. After Troy turned the ball over on downs in its own territory, the Hornets took just two plays for Body to find John Austin for a 19-yard touchdown.

On the ensuing Troy possession, the Trojans turned the ball over on downs again following a failed fake punt attempt on their own 30-yard line. However, the Troy defense stood tall, and the Hornets settled for a 37-yard field goal from Andrew Abu-Akel.

With a 31-17 lead, Troy attempted to convert on fourth down for a third consecutive possession, this time from the ASU 41-yard line. The Trojans would pick up the yardage, as Crowder connected with Jywon Boyd for a 12-yard snag. Troy finished the day 3-for-5 on fourth-down conversion attempts.

The completion allowed Troy to enter field goal range, and Ethan Head made the score 34-17 Troy midway through the third quarter with a 47-yard field goal.

The Hornets failed to convert on its own fourth down attempt on the following possession, and Troy took a 34-17 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Trojan defense did not allow a point in the final 15 minutes, forcing two punts and a turnover on downs to preserve the victory.

Quotable – Head Coach Gerad Parker

I'm clearly frustrated, and I'm not very good at hiding it. We were 6-of-19 on third and fourth down. We didn't turn the football over — which was a positive, but we didn't play clean at all and played with poor discipline. We ran the football well enough to get out of the game with a win.

All compliments to Alabama State and their staff, they did a great job of coming in here and expected to play us well and win. What a great crowd on both sides; Alabama State traveled very well, which we expected. And to our Troy fans, we just want to say thanks again for how they turned out as well.

That being said, I'm just frustrated because I don't think our football team played at our best or at the best version of ourselves to this point in week two. Any time you're not taking steps forward — that is frustrating. And I said on the air after the postgame, I want to be clear that I'm not saying, 'woe is me and it's all on me first, and then not meaning it.' It starts with me.

We played poorly; I thought we were very undisciplined, way too many penalties, and the things we've approached and gone over since January until now, and it's not showing up. We've got to change what we're doing in order to get it fixed and play winning football as the competition continues to climb for us as we go into the bulk of our season.

Notable

• Troy improved to 15-2 all-time against Alabama State and 8-0 against Alabama State at The Vet.

• Troy improved to 22-1 all-time vs. FCS opponents since moving to the FBS level in 2001.

• Troy opened the season 2-0 for the first time since 2013; the Trojans finished 6-6 that season. Troy has recorded five 10-win seasons since the last time it started the year 2-0.

• Troy won for the eighth time since 2001 (Division I era) when accumulating 120 or more penalty yards and first since 2024; 125 yards vs. Florida A&M.

• Tonight's attendance was 26,634. It is tied for the 14th largest crowd at Veterans Memorial Stadium (James Madison 9/16/23).

• Troy rushed for 226 yards on 39 carries; Troy has won 10 of its last 11 games when rushing for more than 100 yards.

• Troy improved to 47-4 when rushing for 150 or more yards and 26-0 when rushing for more than 200 yards 2015. Troy improved to 54-2 since 2004 when rushing for 200 or more yards.

• Troy outrushed Alabama State by a 226-116 margin, it marked just the third time in the past 10 games that Troy has outrushed its opponent. Troy has outrushed both its opponents this season.

• Troy recorded 427 yards of total offense in the victory, its first time topping the 400-yard mark since the regular season finale at Southern Miss last year.

• Troy's 226 rushing yards were the fourth-most in the Gerad Parker era.

• Jwyon Boyd hauled in a six-yard catch in the first quarter. It marked the first reception of his career.

• Jaheim Merriweather broke loose on a 69-yard touchdown run, marking his first touchdown as a Trojan and the second of his career.

• Jaheim Merriweather's 69-yard rush marked the longest rush since Kimani Vidal also broke away for 69 yards against Arkansas State in 2023 (Oct. 7, 2023).

• Today marked the first time Troy has had two 60-plus yard touchdowns since Iowa in 2024. In that game, Troy had a 62 and 63-yard touchdown pass.

• It also marks the first time Troy has had a 60-plus yard receiving and rushing touchdown since Arkansas State in 2023 (Oct. 7, 2023). In that game, Troy had a 64-yard passing touchdown and a 69-yard rushing touchdown.

• Troy's opening touchdown from Goose Crowder to T.K. Keyes came at the 13:25 mark of the first quarter. The touchdown was Troy's quickest in a game since Oct. 4, 2018, against Georgia State and the fastest score since Aug. 31, 2019, vs. Campbell.

• Jaheim Merriweather's three touchdowns today marks the first time a Trojan has rushed for a trio of touchdowns since Kimani Vidal rushed for five in the 2023 Sun Belt Championship game against Appalachian State (Dec. 2, 2023).

• Troy ran 69 offensive plays, the 12th time under Gerad Parker that Troy has run between 60-69 plays; the Trojans improved to 5-7 in those games.

• Troy held Alabama State to 17 points, snapping a streak of 15 straight games by the Hornets scoring 30-plus.

• Donnie Smith has a sack in the first two games of the season after recording one in nine different games last season.

• Troy recorded three sacks in the game; the Trojans have multiple sacks in 37 games since 2022.

• Troy held Alabama State to 221 yards of total offense; the 40th time since 2001 that Troy has held an opponent to 250 yards or fewer. Troy is 35-5 in those games. It was the fewest yards allowed by a Gerad Parker team at Troy.

• Troy had one takeaway in the game; the Trojans have forced a turnover in 106 of its last 135 games.

• Troy held Alabama State to 105 passing yards, the third time in the last year-plus holding an opponent to 105 passing yards or fewer.

• Troy has held 18 of 28 opponents in the Gerad Parker era to fewer than 375 yards of total offense.

• Ethan Head hit a 47-yard field goal to advance Troy's lead midway through the third quarter. It marked the longest of his career.

• Evan Crenshaw finished the game with three punts for an average of 46 yards, including a 58-yard punt. He now has five punts of 50-plus yards this season.

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